Give Homemade Gifts This Year

 Today, some people begin Christmas shopping as much as a year in advance. For others, Christmas shopping is a mad rush the week before right up to Christmas day, a marathon of deal chasing and substitutions. The familial and religious aspects of Christmas have become overshadowed by the commercialism of the “Holiday Season” or the “Holidays.” 

Christmas gift giving as we know it developed in the late part of the 19th century and the early 1900’s. This period ushered in a growing industrial economy and with it the establishment of a stable middle class with more disposable income and a homeward focus. They embraced Christmas as an opportunity to celebrate children and family. This along with more disposable income brought more focus to the practice of giving gifts to loved ones and friends in celebration of the season. 

Prior to the rise of Macy’s and their department store progeny, Christmas was primarily recognized with communal celebrations, caroling and modest gift giving. In 1867, Macy’s responded to the interests and needs of their customers, the growing middle class of an industrial economy, by staying open until midnight on Christmas Eve. Then in 1874 Macy’s became the first department store to use a Christmas theme in its window displays. 

If you plan on keeping the heart of the holiday, family, faith and goodwill, in mind, homemade gifts could be your best option this year. Unless you particularly enjoy the contact sport that Christmas shopping has become, there are two points to recommend it: 

• Homemade gifts can be tailored to suit the time and money you can budget for them.
• Your gifts will be personal and as unique as your imagination allows. 

Here are a few gift ideas to get you started: 

1. Baked Goods
Bake a favorite treat and package it in decorative containers. If you want to provide a gift within a gift, use Tupperware or other reusable storage containers from Glad or Ziploc. They don’t have to be pricey.